The Guestlist With Sean Cannon

DOWNLOAD If Lee Ranaldo had an ego, I would totally understand. I mean, he’s a member of Sonic freaking Youth. That would be enough, but he’s also routinely mentioned in “greatest guitarists” lists (33rd according to Rolling Stone; tied for best ever in the eyes of Spin). So if you do the math, a gourd [...]

DOWNLOAD Jon Philpot is an innovator in the music world, but not because of the club bangers he produces with Bear in Heaven. No sir, it’s because of his commitment to stage magic and prop comedy during live shows. If you don’t believe me, just listen to our conversation. He asserts the importance smashing watermelons [...]

DOWNLOAD My conversation with Reggie Watts was cut short by a meeting (I’m going to assume he had to meet with Pope Benedict or President Obama…because I can’t think of any other legitimate reason for him to bid me adieu). That said, we still discussed the “fake Reggie Watts” fiasco and what it feels like [...]

DOWNLOAD Penelope Houston saw Kurtis Blow, The Smiths and Violent Femmes for the first time on the same night. That’s right, all three acts were on one bill. Oh, what a crazy world it was in the ’80s! But anyway, that’s only one tidbit Penelope shared during our conversation. She also talked about the evolution [...]

DOWNLOAD “It’s all about Chavez … last of his tribe.” I think that pretty much says it all, right? So while you listen to our conversation, I’ll just follow Mr. Honus’ advice and go watch Young Guns II while dreaming about cars that don’t talk.

DOWNLOAD Paul F. Tompkins and I are now eternally bound together. I saved his life during our conversation, and then he saved my life. Plus he volunteered to co-host WFPK’s newest show, The Hat Hour — which is obviously more momentous. And if hats don’t rev your engine, take heart. We also discuss podcasting, comedy [...]

DOWNLOAD Four words: Brutus the Barber Beefcake. Sure, I discussed other salient topics with Mark and Rose of Vandaveer. But those four words still loom large in my mind. In fact, the image of a jigsaw puzzle displaying the Beefcake’s sweaty biceps and firm pecs won’t leave my head. I’m haunted by it.

DOWNLOAD The idea of selling out is so intrinsically bound up in the concept of artistic integrity and (sub)cultural expectations that it’s hard to unpack — especially in less than a paragraph. But Matt Drenik and I discussed the seemingly paradoxical notion that “selling out” can be a purer endeavor than eschewing the establishment. Plus [...]

DOWNLOAD During our hour-long chat, Mike Watt laid out his thoughts on everything. Well, maybe not everything. But he did touch on sociology, psychology, philosophy, history, physics, math, music, art and aesthetics — so you can see what I mean when I say “everything.” Plus he chose a K-pop jam for one of his guest [...]

DOWNLOAD Before I ever talked to Ryan Patterson, I knew he was a legitimate punk rocker — not because of the music or the tattoos, but because of his lifestyle. And after meeting him years ago and talking to him regularly, it’s become even more apparent just how much the punk rock ethos permeates what [...]

DOWNLOAD There are a lot of myths about what makes a band “important” or “relevant” online (look at me, using scare quotes like I’m Carles or something). I’m not sure if it’s because the music blog community is such a tight-knit group or if bloggers (myself included) just have trouble seeing the forest for the [...]

DOWNLOAD For someone who usually lurks in the shadows, Brendon Small was extremely open and forthright during our conversation. While he didn’t spill all the beans, he gave me the skinny on where Metalocalypse is heading in the future. We also discussed his approach to animation and voice acting in depth, which was a thrill [...]

DOWNLOAD You can tell that David T. Lewis is passionate about both music and helping people navigate the waters of life inside the music industry. That’s obvious enough because of his job title: director of career services at McNally Smith College of Music. But it became even more apparent after we discussed things like nostalgia, [...]

DOWNLOAD I’ve noticed a theme developing in some of my After Dark conversations. They regularly involve busy people with their hands in a lot of pies — renaissance men (and women), if you will. Maybe it’s because of my chronic inability to feel like I’ve made forward progress. Then again, maybe it’s just because people [...]

DOWNLOAD It was refreshing to hear someone talk fondly about his rural roots — someone who embraced those roots wholeheartedly instead of eschewing them and only ironically indulging on occasion. I would say William Elliott Whitmore is full of folksy wisdom, but honestly that’s just condescending. As a country boy myself, I’d just call it [...]